"Turning point" in combating slavery in Mauritania

The Mauritanian Government's formal adoption of a new road map to combat slavery has been hailed as a "turning point" by the UN.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Slavery, Gulnara Shahinian told the Human Rights Council that the new provisions were not only symbolic, but marked a new phase in Mauritania's efforts to "eradicate slavery and its remnants once and for all."

It is unclear how many people are enslaved in the West African country although some estimates put it at over 150,000 people.

Ms Shahinian said that she hoped the Government would deploy "all necessary efforts" to fully implement the road map, and that it would result in "concrete changes."